Doll construction



March 31, 1959 v. 1. GRADWOHL DOLL CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 20. 1951 iNVENTOR VIOLET I.EE GRADWOHL BYM@ @m2f#wd A'ITGRNEYS United Sratcs Patent DOLL CONSTRUCTION Viola! Lee Gradwohl, Lincoln, Nebr., assignor to Terl'i v Lee, Inc., Lincoln, Nebr., a corporation of Nebraska Application November 20, 1951, SerialNo. 257,321

2 Claims. (C1. 46-159) tion means which has been developed heretofcne. Vinyl plastics suitable for dolls have the undesirable chai'actetistic of being easily torn and, for that reason, have uot been employed in the various types of prior art articulation devices. In addition, slush molded vinyl products such, for example, as the arms and legs of dolls must of necessity be open at one end to permit the pouring of. the slush vinyl during the manufacture thereof. Therefore, such articles cannot be molded by the slush method with a washer, knob, or other means inserted into the end of the article for retention by the article when Solidified as is done with molded rubber articles.

Accordingly, one 01 the objects of the presfi:nt invention is the provision of a new and improved joint for attaching the limbs to the body portion of a doll fabricated from a deformable material such as vinyl plastic, for example, in which the foregoing difiiculties cf tearing and the necessary provision of an open end in the article are successfully overcome and which is adapted to perform all the functions of the articulation devices of this character heretofore proposed or now in general use.

The present invention has for an additional object the provision of a deformable doll, the arts of which are initially molded from a flexible material such, for example, as a vinyl plastic material, and are then secured together by a novel articulation device.

Another object of the instant invention resides in the structure of the connecting joint which is provided with a rigid shoulder carried by a flexible bearing spindle which is integral with each limb of the doll for the purpose of providing a new and improved means for connecting the limbs to the body portion of the doll.

An additional object is the rovision of a doll having an articulation device connecting the body portion thereof to each arm and leg and which permits each limb to be rotated about the axis of the joint and which also permits, due to the flexible material from which the doll is made, each limb to be moved in a direction normal to the axis of the joint.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved doll of the character mentioned, which will be durable and efficient in use, simple and economical to manufacture, and which may be placed on the market at a minimnm of expense.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reason of the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view of a portion of the doll of the present invention partially shown in elevation and partially shown Patented Max. 31, 1959 ice 2 in section to thereby illustrate the arm and leg joints of the doll;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section view through one of the joints of my improved doll showing a slightly diiferent embodiment of the joint; and

Fig. 3 is an end elevation view of a limb of the doll, this figure applying equally well to the joint illustrated in either Fig. 1 01' Fig. 2.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, in which like'- reference numerals are employed to designate like 13arts, and more particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, it will be noted that reference numeral 11 generally designates the doll of the present invention. The body portion 12,

which may be of any suitable deformable material such as vinyl plastic, for example, is filled with a soft packing material 13 such as cotton. v

An aperture 14 is provided near the upper end of the body portion 'through which the bearixig spindli=s of the arms are -adapted to be received. Near the lower end of the body portion 12 an apert ure 15 is provided and is adapied to receive the bearing spindle of the legs of the doll, in a manner which will become mor'ereadily apparent as -the description proceeds. The ape'rnires 14 and 15 are fo'rmed in the wall 'portion'f' the bbdy 12 in such a manner that the surfaces of the wall portion adjacent the apertures provide an annular shoulder adapted to cooperate with a portion of the bearing spindle of each arm and leg for maintaining the respective limbs in their assembled position relative to the body portion 12.

As illustrated in Fig. l, the arm 16 and the leg 17 are each provided with a bearing spindle generally designated by the numeral 18. The bearing spindle includes an annular groove 19 for the arm and a similar groove 21 for the leg. This grooved portion separates an enlarged hollow shoulder ortion 22 of the arm and 23 of the leg from the arm portion 16 and the leg portion 17, respectively. The hollow shoulder portions 22 and 23 are respectively provided with a disc of any suitable material such as wood, for example, and which is designated by numeral 24 for the arm and numeral 25 for the leg.

These discs 24 and 25 serve to not only render the shoulders 22 and 23, respectively, rigid, but also to function to provide a closure for the open ends of the respective limbs which are stuffed with a material similar to that employed as the packing material for the body ortion, hereinbefore described. As is best indicated in Fig. 3, these disc members are rigidly secured in place within the shoulder portions 22 and 23 by wire brads 26. Of course, any other conventional means for securing the discs in their assembled position may be employed if found suitable for the purpose.

Referring now to Fig. 2, it will be observed that the disc 25 performs only one function, namely, that of add-- ing rigidity to the hollow shoulder member 23. In this form of the invention, the closure 27 for the end of the limb comprises a transverse artition molded integrally with the casing 28 of the limb and simultaneously therewith.

Although the articulation devices herein disclosed have been described with reference to the joint between a limb and the body portion of a doll having two legs and lwo arms, it will be apparent that the invention may be employed with equal advantage in other adaptations cf animated subjects such, for example, as the joints between the legs and body portiom of four legged toy animals.

In addition, it Will be understood that the inventive concept is not limited to the joint between a limb and the body portion of a doll, for example, but may be applied with respect to any joint such as the knee and elbow joints, for example.

While the invention has been described with reference ohanges andmodifications may be made without d eparting from the spirit and scope of ihe invention, and it ismy intention, therefore, tocover*in the appended claims aiisuch Changes and modifications.

I claim: y

.1. A deformable doll filled wifih a soft packingmaterial and having jointsfor movably mounting the limbs 'of the doll relative to the body portion thereof, each cf said .joints respectively comprising a hollow, deformable bearing-spindle carried by the limb, a rigid sholder carried by said spinclle, sai shoulder beinghollow and open at one end and forrned integrally with said-spindle, a rigid disc member secured within said hollow shoulder for providing.rigidity forthe shoulder and a closure forthe packing materiai employad -within the limb, said body porti m being provided with apertures for respectively receiving said spindle and its associated shoulder, deformable means carried by the body portion and disposed around the periphery of each aperture for cooperating with the bearing spindle and shoulder of the s pindle to maintain the limb in its .assembled position with respect to the body portion under normal conditions 0f service, said shoulder being of larger external diameter than said :aperture within which -the shoulder is forcibl y inserted whereby the limb may be rotated about the axis of the spindle.

2. A deformable do1l the wall portions of which are filied with a soft packing material and having joints for movabiy mounting a first member cf the doll to a second member thereof, said joints respectively comprising a hollow, deformable bearing 'spindle extension of said first member, said extension including a hollow deformable shoulder, 'a'po1tion of said second member forming anaperture for receiving said extension, and means sarried by said extension for providing arigid shoulder cooperable with the aperture defining wall portions of said sedond membar to prevent withdrawai of the 6xt'e11sion from the aperture undernormalconditions of service, said means including a rigid disc member secured within the said deformabie shoulder for providing rigidity for the shoulder and further providing a closure for packing materiai empioyed within said first member.

References Cited in the file of this patent 'UNITED'STATES PATENTS 882,422 .Sackman Mar. 17, 1908 1;676096 Kwasnicki July 3, 1928 1;897914 Schaefier Feb. 14, 1933 1938,865 Schaeffer Dec. 12, .1933 .-2098925 Schaeffer Nov. 9, 1937 

